Overview

Re-Discover Soriano, Tuscany and Umbria...

This itinerary is not for the tourist but for the traveler. It has been thoughtfully crafted for those of you that want an in-depth and rich experience of local life in Italy. We’re going off-the-beaten-path to areas that are still mostly undiscovered. This was the original concept and the very core of who we are and why Culture Discovery was created. You’ll take a giant step back to places and times that are nearly forgotten. This is experiential travel in some of its purest form. You will partake in local traditions and customs. You will cook and taste home-style Italy that even most locals never do anymore. This is the road less traveled. These are the cities lost in time.

This is the REAL Italy that everyone dreams about.

The excursions this week are a mixture of new places our guests have never been to, along with some of the highlights from our Under the Tuscan and Umbrian Sun Vacation.

We call it Cities Lost in Time on the Road Less Traveled, as it is a hybrid of two of our past itineraries. More importantly, it is because during the week, we will visit places that only few foreign travelers ever see, including many that even the locals aren't familiar with. It all starts with the Etruscan civilization. The Etruscans pre-date the Romans, and much of what history has attributed to the Romans actually came from the Etruscans. They were an amazing people that ruled from twelve city-states before the Romans ultimately conquered them.

Each guest will have the opportunity to make their own, individual pizza from scratch. They then will get baked in our wood-fired oven.

Toppings will include:

Sausage and Salami Picante

Porcini Mushrooms

Sauted Onions

Fresh Mozzarella

Fresh tomatoes

Fresh Ricotta and Artisanal Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread

And Much More!

The Excursions and Exclusive Experiences

This week is full of places that we rarely go to. You will see some very off-the-beaten-path places that most visitors would never get to see, let alone even hear about.

Some Highlights of the Week:

Private lunch at a centuries-old Family-Run Flour Mill

Private Lunch and Dinner at premier Tuscan Wineries

Private Tour of Soriano’s Castello Orsini

Guided hike along an ancient Etruscan trail

Make Pecorino and Ricotta Cheese with a Sardinian Shepherd

Private Lunch at a generations-old, Family-Run Olive Mill

Just to name a few...

Wineries

Piombaia and Cantina dei Ricci Wineries: Private Lunch and Dinner at premier Tuscan Wineries – We’ll be treated like family as we wine and dine with the owners and wine-makers of some of Tuscany’s most famous and fabulous wines – Brunello and Vino Nobile.

Where You Will Be Staying

Home-base and your accommodations for the duration of your vacation will be your own private village home in Soriano nel Cimino. This little hamlet in the hills an hour and a half north of Rome is dotted with homes reminiscent of an apartment or condominium, Italian-style. All homes are different and dispersed throughout the town. All are very nicely appointed, have air conditioning, TV and Wi-Fi. There are one, two and three-bedroom homes available and will be assigned based on need and, in some cases, personal preferences. * Price indicated is for double occupancy – Single Supplement for solo travelers is $350 USD.

Private Village Homes

Our guests in Soriano stay in their own private village homes, rather than a hotel.
All of our homes are beautiful places that date back to medieval times or the renaissance. Each one of them is unique, and has been completely restored with modern conveniences, while maintaining their original beauty.

Immersed in Local Tradition

Most of our village homes are not clustered together. They are peppered here and there in the village, such that your neighbors are not other travelers. Instead, they are locals. You will find yourself getting to know them with that daily 'good morning' wave, smile and Buon Giorno. You will see them here and there in town, and really get a sense of belonging as you weave yourself into the fabric of Italian village life.

Location

While our homes are not clustered together, they are all close. Soriano is a small town that is built around a central square, "The Piazza". It is in the piazza that we meet each morning for breakfast before our day starts, and end each evening after dinner. All of the homes are within several hundred feet of the Piazza, so getting to and from is very quick, and incredibly pleasant each day.

Amenities

All of our village homes are actual homes that were private residences at one time. As such, they all have private bathrooms, kitchens, refrigerators, etc. All of our homes are also air conditioned and heated. We also have television in each home with satellite service, allowing you English Language programming. Nearly all of our homes also offer free wireless Internet.

How Homes Are Assigned to Guests

Since each home is unique, so is the floor plan and the decor. Some are larger than others, some have valley views, some have castle views, and some have village views. Some offer balconies, while others do not. Some have two bedrooms, and some are one bedroom homes.

We don't charge different prices for different homes, so we do our best to assign homes based on what we know about guests that are booking. For example, if we know that you would rather not walk up a few flight of stairs or uphill, we will give you one of the lower-lying homes if available. If you are a married couple booking, we will give you a one bedroom home if available. In addition, we take requests. If you have seen photo of our village homes, and there is one in particular that you would like, we will try to make sure you get that one when we confirm your booking. In such cases, it is part first come, first served. But we also take other factors into consideration. For example, if a married couple requests a large 2 bedroom home that sleeps 4 people, we will happily give you a temporary assignment of that home, but if a group of three books later, and all we have left are one bedroom homes, we may need to move you.

See All Of Our Village Homes

Is This For You?

Is This For You?

For Alumni Guest Weeks

There are some weeks that are reserved only for past guests of Culture Discovery Vacations and their friends or family. If you would like to bring a guest, we ask that you let them know to not have any "professional expectations". That is, we are not really in "working-mode " this week. They should understand that is more like a group of friends getting together for a reunion, and those of us at CDV are among those fiends. This distinction is very important, as we see our alumni weeks as vacations for us, too. This is why our pricing for the alumni weeks is as low as it is. These are not weeks for us to profit from, but rather "cover the costs" weeks, during which we get to reconnect with friends we have made along the way.

For New Guests

Thank you for your interest in this itinerary. It means that you have a sense of adventure and a longing to see the back roads and genuine-living in Italy. We welcome you to come explore with us!

You really do need to be in decent shape this week to do everything

You don't need to be athletic by any means, but there is some light hiking this week in the woods, and at some remote ruins. One hike this week will be a few miles. If this is a problem, remember that you can always stay back in Soriano and take it easy when we do these hikes.

Italy in the Summer Months

From early June through early September, Italy can get quite hot, but that is countered by absolutely amazing evenings! Soriano is generally in the high 80's to mid 90's this time of year, but we have seen heatwaves take it higher. It is not very humid, so the evenings cool down beautifully. Remember that we have air conditioning everywhere, but outside :-)